Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto or any of it's Characters. If i had a choice i think i would take Hinata though. I just love her adorable personality =D

Contents: This fanfic will have firearms, but they have special needs in this world. They also won't be very effective against really strong opponents for reasons.

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"Naruto! Where are you?" Naruto winced as he heard his mother call for him hoping she would not find his hiding place he was in."Naruto, please come out I am not angry with you." His mother walked out to the porch in search of her son.

"I don't wanna" With just those words his mother tracked him down, and found him. It was in the hollowness under the stairs of the front porch.

"So this is where you have been hiding." as she crouched down to get a look at him through the stairs. "why did you hide Naruto?"

"because you hate me." he answered with a sad voice.

With a smile on her face "and what would ever make me hate my own adorable son?"

"I broke your favorite vase while playing inside the house."

"you think that is enough to make me hate you? Oh Naruto come here."

Feeling safe he crawled out from under the stairs and stood in front of his mother. Kushina picked him up and embraced him in a loving hug that only a mother could give.

"Naruto you are my son. Nothing in this world, or anything you do could ever make me hate you. You will always and forever be my child."

"Even if I turn into a giant ugly monster?!" Naruto said excitedly.

"Especially if you turn into a giant monster." she said cheerfully

"Because the only way to turn a monster back is with love you know." Naruto hugged his mom, and felt her warmth. He was thankful she wasn't upset with him. "Now as a loving mother I will teach you how to take responsibility for playing in the house and braking my vase" Kushina's face turned into what can only describe as the smiling devil face.

Naruto's face turned white as he realized he was already in his mothers death grip and there is nowhere to run.

Naruto got up and sat at the edge of his bed smiling about the memory he just had a dream about. Looking at the picture he has on his night stand of his parents holding him when he was just a toddler. He walked towards his bathroom in his single room apartment. He looked at himself in the mirror with his ocean blue eyes, fixing his golden yellow hair, brushing his teeth, and slapping his whiskered cheeks."all right ready for the day!"

Back in the Hokage's office Tsunade looking out of her window at her great village.*Sigh* "such a beautiful day. Maybe after I explain the missions today ill go out for a walk to clear my a head and enjoy the calm..." Suddenly the door to her office flew open and a figure quickly jumped in.

"BAAAA-CHAN!.." Naruto exclaimed as he ducked away from a flying book aimed at his head."y-know that is really dangerous" said Naruto who was looking at where the book had hit the now missing wall with a big sweat drop coming from his forehead.

"What is dangerous is coming in here screaming like an idiot!"

"well I'm just excited to go on a mission since I have been back to the village. Umm...am I going on this mission alone?" he said while dusting himself off, getting up, and looking around the room.

"No, I'll start explaining after your fellow teammate gets here."

"seems I got a little excited, and came a bit early haha"

"I kinda miss the orange" Tsunade said looking over Naruto's new clothes which was basically the same jump suit the only difference is that the bright orange color is gone and replaced with black.

"Yeah Jiraiya said its no good. That ill be a walking orange target"

"what about that bright yellow mop you have on your head?"

"yeah mentioned that too, but I was not going to let him touch my hair! I had to sleep with an eye open for almost two weeks before he gave up."

*knock knock*

"come in"

"Good morning Hokage-sama"

"Good morning Neji-kun"

"Neji hows it going? Its been a while, and it looks like I'm not the only one who upgraded their threads" Naruto said as he started looking closely over Neji looking at the new black Konoha uniform with the classic green flak jacket.

"Its good to see you as well Naruto, and It's not much of a difference going from navy blue to black, but it does make it harder for the enemy to spot us. It looks like you had the same idea as well" an annoyed looking Neji responded

"ya like it? Stealthy, durable, professional, sleek, elegant, And the best part it has me in it ha ha ha"

"I see you haven't changed Naruto"

" Hey! That's not true I am stronger now than before , and more MATURE!"

"Alright, you guys can catch up while you are out on the assignment. Now can I explain the mission to you both?" Tsunade said in a stern voice get the attention of both her subordinates.

"It is a simple pest removal mission of a bandit camp that is near a major supply route. They have been attacking any caravan unlucky enough to come across them. The reports do say that they have firearms so make sure you take your vests. The first objective is to get rid of the bandits you may use any method you'd like. Second objective, bring the boss or anyone with a high enough position to know who the supplier of firearms is. We need to know who is supplying these lowlifes with these weapons. Third Objective, there have been a couple of missing people reports from the nearby villages look for them in their camp. Though it is not a bandits usual M.O. Still take a look just in case. Any questions?" Both Naruto and Neji shake their heads in a no motion.

"Good, now as for the squad leader for this mission will be Naruto.."

"YES!" Naruto, happy as much as one can be, was jumping around the room unable to control his excitement.

Neji sighed 'Yeah more mature'

"I can still change my mind!" and like an obedient puppy he instantly calmed down and stood next to Neji once again.

"In all honesty I want to see if your training has put you at the very least at a chunin level. Neji is there to keep an eye on you and to report everything to me. He is also there to take over the mission should you prove not able to handle your position." she crossed her arms, and looked at Naruto.

"That hurts a little. Jiraiya himself said that I am at the very least around mid-J..." The doors to the office opened up and a dark haired women walked in with a small piglett in the hand that was not carrying a stack of papers.

"Tsunade-sama I need you to sign these budget appro...Naruto-kun! You're back. Oh and good morning Neji-kun."She did not even recognize Naruto until she saw his signature golden hair.

"hey Shizune! It has been a long time" he said while giving his sheepish smile. Seeing the new stack of paper work Tsunade decided to finish the briefing so that everyone leaves. After all She does have a bottle of sake waiting for her.

"well to wrap this up. Naruto, you are allowed to take at least four other comrades with you. It will be a six man squad. That should be enough to take care of a bandit camp. Ill leave the selection up to you. You will leave tomorrow afternoon. So you have until then to choose your team. Your team should be arriving near the camp in a few days after you leave. Take any weapons available along with any munition you think you might need. Dismissed!" Both Neji, and Naruto started to walk out of the office. "Oh and Naruto its good to finally have you back." and with a thumbs up and a big smile Naruto was off to choose his teammates.

"Tsunade-sama what happened to the wall?"

"Let's bill it Naruto." Tsunade told Shizune

Being away for so long he has missed his favorite ramen shop very dearly. Having the chance to finally eat at the shop he sat down to catch up with Teuchi and Ayame. He owed them a lot growing up. They gave him meals when he was hungry, and even chased away some of the other villagers who pestered him while he was eating there. He never knew why the villagers hated him until Jiraiya told him while in his training.

After he finished his tenth bowl of ramen, and talking with Ayame about his adventures outside the village he got down to business. He brought out the roster he was given, and began scanning through it looking for his potential teammates. Ayame has never seen him so focused. Quite honestly she never though he was capable of it.

'Alright so I have Neji he can be the leader of my over-watch team. I can ask Shikimaru to join in and be my tactician. Its going to take a bit of convincing to get him to go though he'll probably say its too troublesome. Kiba can be my support, and tracker if the need arises. I need a communication person, and a medic. Good thing shizune gave me the roster with every available ninja.'

".kun."

'alright! Sakura-chan is a medic nin sweet ill ask her to join. I cant wait to show Sakura-chan how much stronger I've gotten. She's going to be really impressed.'

"...to-kun"

'Now all I need is communications lets see who fits the bi...'

**smack**

"Damn it NARUTO pay attention when someone is trying to talk to you!" Naruto finally looking up from his bowl of ramen to see a slender figure with long bleached long hair. He held his head where Ino had smacked, and when the gears in his head finally realigned he remembered who Ino's father is.

"Ino! You're perfect!" he yelled extremely loud. Surprising Ino quite a bit.

"I haven't seen you in years, and the first thing you say to me is that I'm perfect...? Well I like this new Naruto." Naruto swears he just saw her head get a bit bigger. Having the compliment go a bit to her head he decided it was best not to mention what the actual context of what he said. "I see your appetite hasn't changed" glancing at the ten empty ramen bowls. She sat down next to him and order her own bowl of ramen.

"Every other ramen shop I've been to outside the village doesn't compare to Ichiraku. So I'm eating as much as I can. while I can." He said with a determined look on his face.

"So when did you arrive at the village?"

"Last night, but only Baa-chan, Neji, and Shizune know. So let's keep it that way okay." he wanted to arrive during the day, but it couldn't be helped. Now he just wants to randomly surprise everyone when they see him back. "Pervy-sage went to report to her the second we got here"

"So Jiraiya-sama went to report to the Hokage in the middle of the night?" Ino had a questionable look on her face.

"Yeah something about catching her 'playing with her cat' which I didn't understand cause Baa-chan doesn't have a cat...wait...does she have a cat?" he turned to Ino who was laughing her ass off.

"I'm sure she does Naruto." wiping a tear from her eye. Seeing a confused look on his face she felt relieved to know he didn't catch some of his sensei's perverseness. "so what are you doing Naruto?" seeing him looking over a roster, and so deep in though was something she did not remembered him being able to do. Hell him staying still for a minute was difficult enough.

"Well after getting back Baa-chan asked me to go on a mission that she needed done. Its also a test to see how much I've grown. I need four other members for my squad, and I got three already. Just need a fourth, and guess what...I found her" he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"All I came here to do was eat, and I get dragged into a mission instead" Naruto smiled with joy in getting his first member on board.

"alright now help me get the others with me." Barely having time to swallow her food she was dragged out of the ramen stand, and they were off to get the rest of them.

**SMACK**

Ino managed to get a clear shot at Naruto. Forcing his face to the ground." Damn it you owe me some ramen Naruto!"

It didn't take much convincing to get Kiba to join in he was actually really excited to hang out with his friend even if it was on a mission. Shikimaru on the other hand was not so excited. Though he was happy that his friend is back from years of training he was not to keen on going on a mission he didn't have to. Ino gave him the old guilt trip technique, and it worked like a charm. Sakura was last on the list. She was training at the Hokage's building according to Ino. She found her path in medical jutsu a difficult path, but it is the one she chose. Not to mention she is the Hokage's apprentice. Which impressed Naruto. He didn't have the skill in medical stuff so he respected it.

"Hey Sakura-chan" Naruto waved at her while he entered the room.

"Naruto?" Sakura had trouble recognizing him without his orange jump suit.

"The one and only!" Showing a big bright smile with a thumbs up. Sakura knew that was the same Naruto she had said goodbye to years ago.

After catching up for a bit, and explaining the mission to her she happily agreed to join in. A moment later Naruto was heading out to get everything ready for tomorrows mission. Leaving Sakura and Ino by themselves.

"So Sakura didn't he get a bit handsome?" bumping her shoulder with Sakura's.

"He looks a bit more mature is all I can say. I wouldn't go as far as calling him handsome"

"aww come he is tall, good looking, and he has been crushing on you since we were kids. Why not give him a shot?"

"He is more like a brother to me. It'll be like you dating Shikamaru, and besides who knows if he even still has a crush on me. We only spoke to him for a bit. A lot could have changed." Sakura saw what Ino was trying to do, and she was not going to let her have her way. Ino has long given up on her quest for Sasuke after realizing that he was not that great of a person as she once though. She now wanted her friend to see it too, and actually pay attention to someone that deserves it.

"well you got me there, but make sure you don't get jealous when somebody else snags him up." She got up and placed a hand on the pink haired girl's shoulder gave her a small smile and started to leave the room.

"We'll find out more about Naruto soon. I'll see you tomorrow" Ino said to her on the way out of the room.

"yeah see you then" Sakura responded, and got ready to continue her training.

As Ino was walking out she saw Naruto walking away looking a little gloom.

'crap...did he hear us' her mind was filled with guilt and worry. If he did hear it would devastate him, and it was her fault. The only thing she could do now is ask, and find a way to apologize profusely. She followed him until they were out of the building. She did not want Sakura to know that he heard.

"did you hear?" preparing herself for his answer.

He turned around with a smile on his face "Not the whole conversation just the 'like a brother' part" He was smiling, but Ino could tell he was sad.

"I'm sorry Naruto I didn't know you were still close by I shou..." Naruto raised his hand in a stop gesture.

"Don't worry about it. Its my own fault for eavesdropping on your conversation. Well its not like it didn't hurt, but it hurt less than I honestly though" He chuckled a bit. He always knew he didn't have Sakura's attention in that way, but that did not stop him from trying. Now noticing Ino was now the gloomy looking one. "Don't worry about it Ino-chan. I am Naruto Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja. A rejection, even if it was an indirect one, is not going to get me down. Come on we need to be at 100 percent for tomorrow so go get some rest okay" Giving a smile and thumbs up put Ino at ease a bit. Feeling better she said sorry one last time, and started heading home. Naruto doing the same.

'well looks like I got my answer to a question I didn't even ask yet...well no time to worry I lead my first mission tomorrow. Got to bring my A-game, and show everyone how strong I am'

END CHP 1

Hey guys today I'm really excited to start my first fanfiction. Please bear with me as I am new to writing in general if you see any mistakes or just a suggestion on how to better word something please comment or DM me so I could fix it. I'm doing this for my own pleasure Because I've had this idea bouncing around my head for some time now (3 months), but haven't been able to find it around the net. So as I've heard many times before 'If you cant find it write it.' Any question you can DM me directly, and ill answer the best i can without ruining the story. Thank you for reading.